Prep recap: Boise has torched its crosstown rival for years. It brought the heat again

The fierce rivalry between Boise and Borah boys soccer teams continued Tuesday night. But the Brave didn’t hesitate in dominating their opponent, dismantling the Lions 4-0 in the 5A SIC opener for both teams at the Boise Brave Athletic Complex.

Junior winger Qussai Kadro needed just four minutes to open the scoring, riffling a 15-yard shot to the left corner of the goal. He’d follow it up 12 minutes later with a low shot past Borah goalkeeper Christian Griffith to go up 2-0.

“He’s one of four or five guys that are dangerous getting forward and can get a number of goals this year,” Boise (1-0-1, 1-0-0 5A SIC) coach Mike Darrow said.

Despite only returning four starters, Boise brought back three all-conference playmakers and depth in multiple positions, leading to a third-place finish in the 5A SIC’s preseason coaches’ poll.

The Lions (0-1-1, 0-1-0 5A SIC) returned two key strikers in seniors Carter Griffith and Thamini Echasa. But both were kept in check Tuesday as Borah was outshot 18-8 with no room for a clean shot on target.

“I think it’s about the chemistry that we have together,” Kadro said. “We’ve played together all the time, and we just wanted (the game) more.”

That chemistry kept the offense flowing in the second half. A solo drive by junior forward Daniel Hirai extended the lead in the 49th minute. And a free kick from sophomore defender Tucker Smith helped Hirai sneak in a second goal two minutes later.

“The work rate was outstanding,” Darrow said. “That’s definitely what we’re going to get with this team. They played for each other, and it’s been a nice deal.”

The Brave continue to light up the stat sheet against their rival, outscoring the Lions 21-5 in the last five matchups, with Boise winning four of those five games.

“We just take (each game) as they come,” Darrow said. “We’ve got 20 guys deep and we’re just running guys in and out.”

TUESDAY’S STANDOUTS

• Kyle Atkinson, Timberline (boys soccer): Scored the game-winning goal to give the defending state champions a 1-0 win over Capital.
• Cole Hernandez, Ridgevue (boys soccer): Scored two goals as the Warhawks edged Skyview 3-2.
• Brian Mendoza, Jordan Sanchez, Payette (boys soccer): The duo scored two goals each in a 5-4 win over Fruitland.
• Madeline Ramsey, Bishop Kelly (girls soccer): Led the Knights with a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win at Caldwell.
• Karlie Kildow, Homedale (girls soccer): Scored two goals to narrowly defeat Weiser 4-3 in the Trojans’ first conference game since 2011.
• Trevor Garus, Capital (boys golf): Fired a round of 63 to win a quad meet at Warm Springs by 12 strokes over the next closest competitor.
• Ella Arnzen, Timberline (girls golf): Shot a 71 to win the girls quat meet at Warm Springs by six strokes.

This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 11:24 PM.